Luan's Cafe & Kitchen

Luan's Cafe & Kitchen is a family-run local on Beaconsfield Terrace in Brighton's shopping strip, near the corner of Lacon Street on Brisbane's bayside. It is a morning-and-midday venue, trading from about 7am to 1:30pm weekdays and Saturday and to 1pm Sundays, closed Tuesdays, so check the clock before planning an afternoon coffee. Dogs sit at the footpath and covered terrace tables out front, which makes it a low-fuss stop on the way to or from the foreshore.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor seating in front of the cafe, on lead. The indoor room is small, so plan on sitting outside regardless of the weather forecast. Staff are used to dog owners and will usually bring a water bowl over; there is no printed dog menu, so bring treats if your dog expects a cut of the breakfast. Weekend brunch fills the footpath tables, so a weekday late morning is the relaxed version.

The menu

This is generous, classic cafe cooking: eggs benedict with a hollandaise that gets steady praise, big burgers with sweet potato fries, and a hot chocolate worth ordering. The kitchen's Nepalese heritage shows up in specials such as momo dumplings alongside the bayside brunch staples, which gives the menu more range than the strip's average. Presentation is a point of pride, judging by the plates that keep appearing online.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking runs along Beaconsfield Terrace and the surrounding residential streets, with a few off-street bays near the strip. Weekend mornings are the busiest window for both parking and tables.

Close by with the dogs

The fenced Decker Park Dog Park on Twenty Fifth Avenue has double-gated large and small dog areas, agility gear and water fountains, a short drive north. The Brighton foreshore path is on-lead, with the off-lead stretch starting further along the Sandgate foreshore. For a second stop, Little Poppy's Kitchen is up the same terrace and famous for puppucinos with homemade biscuits.

More of the bayside is on the Brighton destination page and the QLD cafes index.